Pembroke Dock Heritage Centrehttp://www.sunderlandtrust.com
Explore over 200 years of Maritime, Military and Social History in the Historic Royal Dockyard ChapelFri, 11 May 2018 13:53:38 +0000en-GBhourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.8.6http://www.sunderlandtrust.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/cropped-PDHC-Blue-Square-32x32.pngPembroke Dock Heritage Centrehttp://www.sunderlandtrust.com
3232Notice of 2018 AGMhttp://www.sunderlandtrust.com/notice-2018-agm/
Mon, 16 Apr 2018 12:56:21 +0000http://www.sunderlandtrust.com/?p=6128The Trustees would like to give notice to all members of Pembroke Dock Sunderland Trust of the 2018 Annual General Meeting (AGM). The Meeting will be held on Wednesday 16 May 2018, at 4.00pm at Pembroke Dock Heritage Centre, Royal Dockyard Chapel, Pembroke Dock, SA72 6WS. It will be open to all members (volunteer members and subscription members) […]

]]>The Trustees would like to give notice to all members of Pembroke Dock Sunderland Trust of the 2018 Annual General Meeting (AGM).

The Meeting will be held on Wednesday 16 May 2018, at 4.00pm at Pembroke Dock Heritage Centre, Royal Dockyard Chapel, Pembroke Dock, SA72 6WS. It will be open to all members (volunteer members and subscription members) of the Trust.

]]>Heritage Centre’s Building Ambitionhttp://www.sunderlandtrust.com/heritage-centres-building-ambition/
Fri, 13 Apr 2018 12:38:01 +0000http://www.sunderlandtrust.com/?p=6114Four years after the Royal opening of the Pembroke Dock Heritage Centre by The Queen, we are pleased to announce that we are planning the next exciting stages in the development of a unique museum in one of Wales’ most significant military buildings. We have now applied to Pembrokeshire County Council, the current owners of […]

Four years after the Royal opening of the Pembroke Dock Heritage Centre by The Queen, we are pleased to announce that we are planning the next exciting stages in the development of a unique museum in one of Wales’ most significant military buildings.

We have now applied to Pembrokeshire County Council, the current owners of the Chapel, for a Community Asset Transfer, which would see the operation of the building pass into the hands of the Trust. This move is seen as being a major step in the plan to realise our ambitions of becoming a world-class heritage attraction and community facility for Pembroke Dock.

Pembroke Dock Sunderland Trust, which operates the Heritage Centre, is a registered charity with the purpose of collecting and interpreting the significant and important heritage of Pembroke Dock and the surrounding area. Chairman of the Trust, Gareth Mills, said: “The Royal Dockyard Chapel is one of the most important and impressive buildings in the town, an iconic part of its heritage, and is an ideal setting to tell the unique and internationally significant history of this community.

Pembroke Dock Heritage Centre is housed in the Royal Dockyard Chapel, a Grade II* listed building, built in the 1830s.

“This is a Grade II* listed building with many original features. Whilst this is admirable, it brings major challenges in ongoing repair and maintenance. As a heritage charity we are one of the few organisations that can access grant funding to ensure the building continues to be preserved as part of the heritage of the town.”

“Local Authorities are facing huge pressures on funding local services”, added Mr Mills, “and in the current climate, museums, libraries and other services are under severe pressures.”

“We respect the Local Authority’s position and now feel the time is right for the Trust to take control of the building. This will help in easing the financial pressures on the council, and allowing us to tell this town’s unique story, with the high calibre museum and community facility that Pembroke Dock’s important heritage deserves.”

The Heritage Centre has, year on year, increased its visitor numbers and has become a meeting place for many local groups and community organisations. It also attracts visitors from a further afield, with approximately 6,000 people each year visiting from outside of Pembrokeshire. The Centre is also a popular destination for coach travel companies, and is well used by local schools which use the resources there to enhance their curriculum in learning about local history. The Heritage Centre is also a hub of volunteering in the town, with over 60 individuals regularly attending to volunteer each week, fulfilling a number of functions and roles.

The exhibition Many Nations, Many Trades celebrates 100 years of the RAF, looking at the stories of the men and women who served at Pembroke Dock, and runs until September 2018.

“The Heritage Centre plays a critical role in the town’s regeneration, in education, and for the health and well-being agenda in this community. All of which are other areas of concern for the Local Authority in the challenging financial climate at present,” Mr Mills added.

“We have a very good relationship with both the Town Council in Pembroke Dock and with the County Council, and are so pleased that councillors and staff at both are so supportive of what we want to achieve for this community.”

For any further details on this, please contact Gareth Mills, Trust Chairman, or Stuart Berry, Heritage Centre Manager via enquiries@sunderlandtrust.com or by telephone on 01646 684220.

]]>100th Anniversary at Pembroke Dockhttp://www.sunderlandtrust.com/6124-2/
Thu, 05 Apr 2018 10:00:08 +0000http://www.sunderlandtrust.com/?p=6124Pembroke Dock proudly remembered its Royal Air Force Heritage on Easter Sunday April 1st staging a major Welsh event to mark the service’s actual 100th anniversary. During the day over 250 people visited the Pembroke Dock Heritage Centre where a newly created RAF exhibition was admired and a programme of talks and walks arranged. Several […]

]]>Pembroke Dock proudly remembered its Royal Air Force Heritage on Easter Sunday April 1st staging a major Welsh event to mark the service’s actual 100th anniversary.

During the day over 250 people visited the Pembroke Dock Heritage Centre where a newly created RAF exhibition was admired and a programme of talks and walks arranged.

Several west Wales organisations with aviation connections supported the Heritage Centre team with displays of their own.

Apart from giving a presentation during the RAF100 event at Pembroke Dock Heritage Centre, Sergeant Rhoswyn Lewis and Cadet Will Letten of No 948 Squadron, ATC, also donned genuine wartime-era battledress and a flying helmet and joined the ranks in the exhibition area.

They were No 948 (Haverfordwest and St Davids) Squadron, Air Training Corps; No 592 (Haverfordwest) Branch of RAFA; The Pembrey Mountain Trust; The Welsh Spitfire; Coastlands History Group from Dale, Marloes and St Ishmaels, and the Templeton History Group.

The Penfro Model Club, which meets monthly at the Centre, had a fine display of model aircraft spanning the RAF’s century, and there were individual exhibitors – Andrew Watkin of Ammanford with his Supermarine Spitfire Mk II instrument panel, complete with original instruments and gunsight, and John Rattenbury of Ambleston, a former 10 Squadron RAF Victor V-bomber pilot.

Two cadets from 948 Squadron, Sergeant Rhoswyn Lewis and Cadet Will Letten, gave an excellent presentation on the World War I seaplane station at Fishguard while the squadron’s Flying Officer Keith Jones spoke on the Battle of Britain of 1940. The unique gunnery Dome Trainer project at Pembrey was highlighted by Doug and Patricia Neil while Ray Burgess brought the Welsh Spitfire project up to date. The Sunderland Trust’s Rik Sandanha gave a diver’s perspective and posed questions on the sinking in the Haven of Sunderland T9044.

Ted Goddard led a dockyard discovery walk and John Evans followed on along the town’s RAF trail.

The new RAF100 exhibition, entitled ‘Many Nations, Many Trades’, features uniforms from the Centre’s collection and the stories of individual service personnel connected to them. The exhibition runs until early September.

]]>Many Nations, Many Tradeshttp://www.sunderlandtrust.com/many-nations-many-trades/
Wed, 14 Mar 2018 22:19:17 +0000http://www.sunderlandtrust.com/?p=6104Pembroke Dock’s role in 100 years of the RAF. A Special Exhibition, 30 March 2018 – 8 September 2018 This new Special Exhibition at Pembroke Dock Heritage Centre will celebrate the men and women who served in Pembroke Dock and have contributed to the first 100 years of the Royal Air Force’s story. During the […]

This new Special Exhibition at Pembroke Dock Heritage Centre will celebrate the men and women who served in Pembroke Dock and have contributed to the first 100 years of the Royal Air Force’s story.

During the First World War, on 1 April 1918, the Royal Flying Corps and the Royal Naval Air Service were amalgamated. The Royal Air Force was a new service independent of both the Army and the Navy. For nearly 30 years, Pembroke Dock was an important front line station, and it has played a vital role in the Royal Air Force story.

The Exhibition will open on Friday 30 March and will continue until Saturday 8 September 2018. The Heritage Centre will open Monday to Saturday, 10.00am until 4.00pm. The Exhibition will feature one special Sunday opening, on 1 April 2018, the 100th anniversary of the formation of the Royal Air Force.

To celebrate the individuals who came to Pembroke Dock from all over the world, to undertake a variety of important roles, we have selected ten stories representing the men and women of many nations, represented by their uniform.

]]>Catalina Model for Heritage Centrehttp://www.sunderlandtrust.com/catalina-model-heritage-centre/
Mon, 12 Mar 2018 12:58:22 +0000http://www.sunderlandtrust.com/?p=6098A ‘Cat’ has returned to its wartime lair at Pembroke Dock, just in time to go on display at a unique event in the town’s Heritage Centre on Sunday April 1st to mark the RAF’s 100th Anniversary. The large scale model of a Catalina flying boat has been donated to the Pembroke Dock Heritage Centre […]

]]>A ‘Cat’ has returned to its wartime lair at Pembroke Dock, just in time to go on display at a unique event in the town’s Heritage Centre on Sunday April 1st to mark the RAF’s 100th Anniversary.

The large scale model of a Catalina flying boat has been donated to the Pembroke Dock Heritage Centre by The Rolls-Royce Heritage Trust at Derby.

The model was among a collection given to The Rolls-Royce Heritage Trust by a former member and was built to fly. It was surplus to their display needs and was subsequently offered to Pembroke Dock.

In wartime the American-built Catalina made very significant contributions in the Battle of the Atlantic and the campaign against the German U-boat. Catalinas were operated out of ‘PD’ by both the RAF and the United States Navy.

Transporting the model to Pembroke Dock posed no problems for the team from local removals and storage firm ‘Mr Shift It’ and the Catalina ‘landed’ at the Heritage Centre to a welcoming crew including members of the Penfro Model Group.

The Catalina’s welcoming crew take stock of the impressive model along with the ‘Mr Shift It’ team of Adrian Phillips and Gino Thomas (centre). With them, left to right, are Penfro Modellers Peter Mitchell, Barry Clark and Bob Western who are also Heritage Centre Volunteers.

Penfro Model Group members are already planning to refurbish the model and paint it in the markings of an individual Catalina which has a special place in wartime aviation history.

Generous support from Pembroke Dock Town Council and the Town Team funded the transportation of the model to the town.

The Heritage Centre will be opening especially on Sunday April 1st – the actual 100th anniversary of the formation of the RAF. A new exhibition, ‘Many Nations, Many Trades’, will be on display – alongside the newly acquired Catalina. A programme of talks and walks has also been arranged.

]]>RAF’s centenary celebrated at Pembroke Dock Heritage Centrehttp://www.sunderlandtrust.com/rafs-centenary-celebrated-pembroke-dock-heritage-centre/
Mon, 26 Feb 2018 13:00:51 +0000http://www.sunderlandtrust.com/?p=6094The Royal Air Force’s 100th birthday will be celebrated in special ways at Pembroke Dock, once the RAF’s most famous flying boat station. The Pembroke Dock Heritage Centre is staging a special Open Day on Sunday April 1st – the actual 100th anniversary of the formation of the RAF. On that day in 1918 – […]

]]>The Royal Air Force’s 100th birthday will be celebrated in special ways at Pembroke Dock, once the RAF’s most famous flying boat station.

The Pembroke Dock Heritage Centre is staging a special Open Day on Sunday April 1st – the actual 100th anniversary of the formation of the RAF. On that day in 1918 – during the First World War – the Royal Flying Corps and the Royal Naval Air Service were amalgamated into the Royal Air Force.

In the 1930s the RAF established a flying boat station in the former Royal Dockyard at Pembroke Dock and for nearly 30 years a succession of flying boats operated out of the Haven, including the famous Short Sunderland.

That RAF history in the town is told at the Heritage Centre in the Royal Dockyard Chapel where a new special exhibition, entitled ‘Many Nations, Many Trades’, will be put on in time for the event. The exhibition will focus on the men and women of many nations who served at ‘PD’ – from across the Commonwealth and beyond.

On Sunday April 1st the Heritage Centre will host a series of short talks on the subject of the county’s aviation heritage and, weather permitting, two local walks taking in the town’s military history sites. In addition, several local aviation history groups have been invited to display at the Heritage Centre, along with the Air Training Corps.

]]>Calling all RAF Pembroke Dock Personnelhttp://www.sunderlandtrust.com/calling-raf-pembroke-dock-personnel/
Fri, 19 Jan 2018 15:49:02 +0000http://www.sunderlandtrust.com/?p=6084In the 100th year of the Royal Air Force, Pembroke Dock Sunderland Trust is seeking to gather the information of anybody living, who served at RAF Pembroke Dock. We are particularly looking for those who might like to attend some of our special events which commemorate this anniversary. All details submitted will be kept in […]

]]>In the 100th year of the Royal Air Force, Pembroke Dock Sunderland Trust is seeking to gather the information of anybody living, who served at RAF Pembroke Dock. We are particularly looking for those who might like to attend some of our special events which commemorate this anniversary.

All details submitted will be kept in the strictest of confidence, and no information will be shared with any third parties. You may give your details, even if you do not wish to be contacted, and will be given the option to opt out.

]]>Annual Pass Price Freeze!http://www.sunderlandtrust.com/annual-pass-price-freeze/
Tue, 16 Jan 2018 10:07:55 +0000http://www.sunderlandtrust.com/?p=6068Don’t forget to renew your annual Annual Pass in 2018 Last year, we introduced our incredibly popular Annual Pass. It meant that for the price of less than two visits, you can get entry to the centre for a whole year! So whether you live nearby and want to be able to come back again […]

Last year, we introduced our incredibly popular Annual Pass. It meant that for the price of less than two visits, you can get entry to the centre for a whole year!

So whether you live nearby and want to be able to come back again and again, or if you are visiting Pembrokeshire for a few days, and plan to spend a couple in the Heritage Centre, the Annual Pass is the perfect way to make sure you make the most of your visit.

In 2018, we have kept our prices for the pass at exactly the same rate as last year: pay 50% extra and get a year’s entry!

Adult: £7.50

Child: £3.75

Concession: £6.00

Family Ticket: £18.00

So, wherever you live, buy one ticket and get unlimited entry to the Heritage Centre for a year! This means you can pop in at any time to see our changing exhibitions, meet with friends to have a coffee, or to let your children explore our activities on a rainy day, without paying any extra. Also, our annual pass lasts for twelve months from the day you get it, meaning that whenever you choose to come in for your first visit, the pass is always great value!

Please note that some events or activities may require an additional fee or charge. If you purchase a Family Pass, we will take the names of two adults, and at least one adult must be present to use the pass.

]]>Events in 2018http://www.sunderlandtrust.com/events-in-2018/
Mon, 08 Jan 2018 11:00:15 +0000http://www.sunderlandtrust.com/?p=6077As we begin the New Year, we are busy planning an exciting programme of events for the year! 2018 is set to be an important year for many, with two big centenary commemorations planned here and around the country; 100 years since the formation of the Royal Air Force, in April, and the 100th anniversary […]

Vintage vehicles line up in front of the Chapel at one of our regular motoring events.

As we begin the New Year, we are busy planning an exciting programme of events for the year!

2018 is set to be an important year for many, with two big centenary commemorations planned here and around the country; 100 years since the formation of the Royal Air Force, in April, and the 100th anniversary of the end of the First World War in November.

We plan to mark both of these anniversaries, as well as planning a number of other events and activities throughout the year, including our big classic and retro vehicle events.

Exhibitions

In 2018 we are planning two new Special Exhibitions. As we start the year, we are still showing Sentinels of the Sky, an art exhibition featuring the work of a number of artists who are based in West Wales, and members of the prestigious Guild of Aviation Artists. This exhibition will run until the end of February, and will be taken down from Monday 26 February.

At the end of March, from Monday 26 March, we intend to have a new display, highlighting our RAF uniform collection and linking to the stories of Air Force personnel in Pembroke Dock during its active years. This exhibition, which is as yet unnamed, will link to our celebrations of the Royal Air Force anniversary, and will commemorate the men and women of many nations who served at Pembroke Dock. This exhibition will run until the end of September.

From October our focus will shift, and a new display of objects and stories relating to Pembroke Dock’s role in the First World War will take centre-stage. This exhibition will form part of our commemorations of the anniversary of the end of the World War I, and will run into 2019.

Events

Whilst some of the fine details are still being finalised, there are a number of big events we are planning throughout the year:

Sunday 1 April:Special open day and RAF100 celebration event; details to follow.

Saturday 30 June:Armed Forces Day; in 2018 we are planning a smaller event than in previous years, but will offer free entry to the Heritage Centre on the day.

Saturday 28 July: (date to be confirmed) Classic and Retro Vehicle Rendezvous; cars to meet and remain static at the Heritage Centre for the duration of the day with a range of other funday activities on-site.

Saturday 6 October:South Pembrokeshire Coastal Run, in association with Pembrokeshire County Motoring Events; to meet at the Heritage Centre before and after the run.

In Autumns, we are planning to reprise our Autumn Evenings; a series of late openings and talks, with a line-up of speakers including some of our popular regulars as well as new speakers.

Following this, we hope to build on the success of the 2017 Christmas Micro-Markets during weekends in December when we will offer festive fayre, free-entry and a small selection of stalls featuring handicrafts, home and beauty products, books and much more.

Activities

As well as this events line-up, each school holiday we will try and offer something else, from our incredibly popular Dockyard Heritage Walks, to regular arts and craft activities and much more, to keep visiting families busy, whether they live locally or are visiting from further afield!

]]>Sharing Pride in Pembroke Dockhttp://www.sunderlandtrust.com/sharing-pride-pembroke-dock/
Tue, 02 Jan 2018 10:00:16 +0000http://www.sunderlandtrust.com/?p=60062018 is an important year for many people, with a number of significant anniversaries and commemorations taking place. Two of the more significant anniversaries in 2018 are the centenary of the formation of the Royal Air Force, which came into being on 1 April 1918, and the centenary of the end of the First World […]

]]>2018 is an important year for many people, with a number of significant anniversaries and commemorations taking place. Two of the more significant anniversaries in 2018 are the centenary of the formation of the Royal Air Force, which came into being on 1 April 1918, and the centenary of the end of the First World War in November.

At Pembroke Dock Heritage Centre, one of our main aims is to share pride in the town, a pride based on its significant heritage as well as on its present day achievements and on its future potential. Pembroke Dock should rightfully feel a sense of pride in marking both of these anniversaries, in the contributions that this town has historically made in wartime and ultimately in the resolution of the First World War, and also the significant role it played in the Royal Air Force’s 100 year story, so far.

The town is unique in many respects; it has been the only Royal Dockyard in Wales – a place where over 260 Royal Naval vessels and five Royal Yachts were built. Fighting ships built here were active throughout the 1800s, and a number were involved with the First World War Battle of Jutland, in 1916.

The Dockyard became the world’s largest flying boat station during the World War Two and the Battle of the Atlantic, and the Short Sunderland flying boat, a giant of its time, became virtually synonymous with the town.

Throughout all of this, there have been army regiments garrisoned in the town, seeking to protect its strategic value and in staging for operations elsewhere. The Army were stationed here until the late 1960s, making the town unique or certainly unusual in that it has hosted all three armed forces – the Navy, the RAF and the Army, a fact demonstrated by the presence of Wales’ only dedicated military cemetery in the town.

The Second World War saw the uniformed men from many nations come to this corner of Pembrokeshire, with Allied and Commonwealth soldiers and airmen posted here and in the surrounding area to serve a common cause. Even after the war, German Panzer regiments came to Pembrokeshire, landing in Pembroke Dock before making their way to Castlemartin, where they were based for training.

Pembroke Dock was not just a military base, however. There continues to be a vibrant community of people, of shops, of pubs and other businesses which developed – first around the Dockyard and then to support the Royal Air Force base. The town’s social history is just as important as its military heritage.

In the 21st century, Pembroke Dock has much to celebrate. Sitting in the heart of Pembrokeshire, within easy reach of the National Park, the county town of Haverfordwest and the tourist hubs of Tenby and St. Davids. It sits at the southern end of the Cleddau crossing with good links to South Wales and beyond and into the Republic of Ireland, meaning that a high portion of Pembrokeshire’s estimated 4 million annual visitors will come through Pembroke Dock at some stage in their journey. The growth of environmentally-friendly energy sources, and the unique geography of the Cleddau estuary, and the existing infrastructure mean that the town is gaining a reputation among businesses specialising in renewable energy, giving PD an important role in our sustainable future.

For all of these reasons, past present and future, we are Proud of Pembroke Dock, and we would like you to be proud too!

Show your pride in Pembroke Dock, use the hashtag #ProudofPD in your social media posts.